Survivor Stories

Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

HNCA honors all head and neck cancer survivors from the newly-diagnosed, those navigating through their cancer journey as well as individuals who are post-cancer treatment. Each personal story is inspiring and reflects each individual’s unique path.

We welcome and encourage others to share their head and neck cancer experience. When submitting your story, please be sure to send along photos of your life as well as 8-10 paragraphs describing your head and neck cancer journey. Please send to info@headandneck.org.

Lisa Reed

Tonsil Cancer Survivor

Depression is death in recovery. It was at this point, I realized it was up to me to make something happen, so I got busy. I researched nutrition and scoured bookshelves for books focusing strictly on soups. Many recipes I had to reinvent to make them possible for me to eat.

Don Sublett

Tongue Cancer Survivor

While undergoing cancer treatment, I chronicled my experience by sending e-mail notes, initially, to a small group of family and friends. My initial intimate sharing mushroomed, because many of them, in turn, shared those notes far-and-wide. What started out as a small number, ultimately resulted in an e-mail list of approximately 250 people receiving my cancer updates. Several who received my updates told me, “Don, you have a story to tell. I hope you will write a book about your experience and include your e-mail updates!”

Hank Deneski

Tongue Cancer Survivor

Diagnosed in 2005, Hank’s ENT advised surgery would be debilitating – removal of his tongue, esophagus, and voice box — creating a nearly impossible recuperation. As a result, both chemotherapy and radiation were prescribed. During all of it, Hank never asked

Geoffrey N. Read

Laryngeal Cancer Survivor

Eventually, in 2014 my consultant referred me to a consultant surgeon in the Northeast of England where I underwent a Major Pectoral Muscle Flap. This entailed taking muscle tissue from my left chest / breast and flapping it into my neck.

This all went remarkably well and I was up and running again reasonably quickly. I was again able to eat, drink and talk. I can eat and drink, albeit slowly, and the food must be soft and small.

Jessica Tar

National Spokesperson for the HNCA & Oral Cancer Survivor

During the time that I made progress to access the medical care that I needed, I was also plagued with hurdles of distraction, denial and misinformation, all of which played a role in delaying my final diagnosis. I believe that my success as a cancer patient is first due to the process of recognition on a basic level, that something in my body was not the same as it was and I was worse off. Secondly, comes the art of dismissing medical opinions that are presented as final truths and respectfully seeking out alternative opinions with an air of diligence and anticipation of inconvenience…